New Rider, First bike: Which one??? (Guide to choosing your first ride)

[Nardi250r]

Forum Sponsor

So I've read all of your posts, and I agree with you all. But here's a question for ya, I am a newly licensed rider looking to buy my first bike. Now riddle me this, Honda CBR 125R or Kawasaki Ninja 250R?

PLEASE HELP ME

LOL Ive been tearing my hair out for weeks trying to decide, I know both are small bikes, but is 125cc just too small?

PS please PM me with your verdicts

 

[ZimZima]

So I've read all of your posts, and I agree with you all. But here's a question for ya, I am a newly licensed rider looking to buy my first bike. Now riddle me this, Honda CBR 125R or Kawasaki Ninja 250R?

PLEASE HELP ME

LOL Ive been tearing my hair out for weeks trying to decide, I know both are small bikes, but is 125cc just too small?

PS please PM me with your verdicts

It depends on how tall / heavy you are and where you plan to do most of your riding. If you plan on riding highway/longer distances later on, then I'd suggest go with a 250. Either one makes a good starter bike, with the 125, you'll probably outgrown it sooner than a 250.

 

[Eighty-two]

Thanks for the post. I'm new to riding (Planning to get my M1 and M2 this summer/fall). Initially I wanted a GSX-R 600 but after a bit of research (on this site and others) I decided that it would be too much bike for me. I'll probably end up with a GS500F and depending how my riding skills improve, jump to my dream bike in 2 - 3 seasons.

 

[mcewen]

I am a semi new rider (Had M2 11 yrs ago, but it since expired, and am going through the graduated licensing process again).

I'd like to thank the OP for this article. My old bike was a '90 EX500. This time triends were saying 600cc... I was unsure what to do. I am not tall but I am also not light either... so I figured that smaller would not be good....

Also take into account that I want my wife to start riding AND I have a 19 year old son who has expressed a desire to get his bike license.....

After test driving some used 500cc Kawi's and Suzuki's I was at the dealership and saw the 250r. To sit on the bike it felt remarkably like my old EX500. I expected a 250 to be like the little dirtbikes at the training course. The shop owner said that it was a little shorter and about 70 lbs lighter than a 500cc.

So... with the knowledge that this bike may travel from me to my wife to my son (heck.. wife may even be satisfied forever with it....).. I ordered the (green) Baby Ninja (not fond of the white stripes ...but oh well)...

I felt a little peer pressure with the "only a 250?" comments.. but like the OP mentioned... if they don't like it they can buy me what I should have...

This will get me back into the fold and a chance to regain some of those skills I probably lost over the last 10 years or so, and perhaps my family can all move up in steps one year at a time.

So... in three or four years.. I might have a little Ninja to sell a new beginner rider!

An interesting side note, which helps reaffirm that I might have got the right bike to start.... 10 years ago I don't recall ever being nervous while riding. That might have been the youthful "invincibility syndrome" or too much confidence, or just plain stupidity. Now... as I have been riding (test driving a few bikes...) I have been a little hesitant turning into traffic, and making left hand turns across traffic into side streets. I don't necessarily equate it with "old man driver" yet.. and I haven't decided if this extra concern for safety is a sign of maturity or something I should be worried about... It may also just be unfamiliarity with the bike I was riding. I don't know. Has anyone else experienced this?

Ride safe.

 

[Rockwell]

I didn't read the entire thing, but I think I got the gist of it after reading several paragraphs.

Here's some reasonable advice that I got among a slew of alarmist replies to getting a 1000CC bike as my first bike:

Rockwell...despite the best intentions of the warnings don't let "too much bike" throw you. If bikes kill people then pencils misspell words, spoons cause obesity and cars make people drive drunk.

You simply need to approach the bike with the understanding that it is unforgiving and use your noodle appropriately. Stupidity kills people, not motos.

Having said that I don't think you will enjoy the 990 as a first bike as much as a more forgiving bike like the GS series or some others because you will have to work too hard (mentally) to ride it and learn at the same time.

And, the KTM is demanding in time and attention so if you're not mechanically inclined be prepared for much higher service costs than average.

It is a highly specialized, high performance bike and those of us who love it are willing to pay the price of owning it, but make no mistake about the expense and time and effort required. This isn't your everyday "dual sport".

Riding should be fun...not work, but the 990 is as safe as any other, actually safer than many with the ABS and great balance...twitchy throttles can be made less twitchy but the service and attention demands never stop.

I didn't tell him it was a good first bike...quite the opposite. And it would seem he's quite a bit older than you thought.

But there are a lot of worse first bikes out there...quite frankly. If I were teaching a beginner to ride and he had the stature to handle the weight and height of the 990, I would use it to teach him over my KLR. Because it is a much safer bike than the KLR in virtually all ways. I let people of all skill levels ride my 990 as long as they fit the bike and can handle the weight. At least it has ABS which is the most common error by beginners...braking effectively. Grab an accidental hand full of throttle on any bike with dirt gearing and you're in trouble...

There is no magical safety barrier at 650ccs or less. And IMO "ANY" dual sport with conventional seating, high visibility and good brakes is better than any number of 650cc crotch rockets for a beginner.

The 990 may be a big gorilla in the dirt bike world, but 90 horse for a street bike is no great shakes. There are scooters that will do over 90mph.

The 990 is a great bike...but it's hardly the fire breathing monster it sometimes gets made out to be.

And yes, "IF" I had a son I would gladly teach him to ride the on the 990 (stature appropriate) because I would have instilled in him the proper attitude for motorcycles in general. Attitude is where safety is, not the throttle.

Hell, I learned to ride on a suicide shift Indian

I got my 990 a few weeks ago. Rode it back to Hamilton from Kansas. It took a few days to get use to the size of the bike, but I am very comfortable on it and I am able to handle it quite well.

I sent this guy a message the other day telling him that I did purchase the bike, and thanking him for his advice and voice of reason. Here is his response:

Good for you, man...it's great bike. You'll do fine as long as you ride within your personal comfort zone and don't let others push you to ride over your head. That's true on any bike.

The guys in the Crush have a lot of good info on the bikes themselves but there is a little too much chest thumping and ego fanning to get any good beginner advice. They have a hard time accepting that the Adventure dosen't really have to be "conquered by experience" to be enjoyed.

But getting the most out of it is a personal choice on how hard you really want to ride...me not so much. My racing through the dirt days are over, I use mine as go anywhere transportation. But you don't have to be riding to the limit to enjoy the strengths of the 990. Mine will see lots of gravel roads and two track...but precious little tearing through the whoops and single track.

Enjoy it as you see fit. Safety is strictly in the decision making of the driver. Seems like you have the decision making down pat...good luck!

 

[maru]

good choice

 

[Lazy Susan]

So, i am having the same issues for buying my first bike. I was originally thinking the CBR125... I am 5'5 and 106 pounds... female, however, I want or need a bike that i can go on the highway with. i thought the ninja 250 might be best, but a lot of people are saying go straight for a 500, or if i take my dads advice, he's saying go straight for a 600.

Any suggestions???

thanks!

 

[FiReSTaRT]

As I said before, weighing in at a buck, a 250 will easily take you up to highway speeds. A 500 wouldn't be a bad choice, but I'd be iffy about a 600 (especially newer ones) for 2 reasons:
1) I started on an older 600 (but I'm at a buck-80), and even so, I had a few scary moments where only a quick reflex action saved me from a nasty dump.
2) A friend of mine started on a newer 600 and the mix of her inexperience and sudden acceleration contributed to her getting BADLY injured.

 

[tonster1980]

honestly go to the dealerships and start sitting on some of the bikes and see where you feel comfortable that way to start.. I started on an older 600 also and yeah i had scary moments but you could have the same scary moments on the smaller bikes. I know of 2 friends that both crashed there 250's because they started getting bored with the power and pushing it more. so all in all do what you think is best.. dont listen to everyone

 

[zone01racer]

Awesome! Since I'm getting a 750cc for my first bike this must not apply to me either!!!.....

While I am getting a street/sport-touring bike (Z750S) I realize and recognize that it's a big, powerful machine. It weighs 1/4 what my car does but has 80% of the HP and Torque. I am not afraid of it, but that doesn't mean I don't have a healthy respect for it and the damage that I can cause both to myself and to others while riding it. It's why I will be doing the rider courses (basic before I get the bike, intermediate and advanced riding afterwards) with my bike to learn it's limits and mine. That and I won't be riding like an idiot on regular roads!

Oh and if anything bad should happen to me, you guys and gals will be the first to hear about it to help other new riders become better.

Cheers,

M.

so, how did that go M?

 

[zone01racer]

Great, Thank you!

 

[ZimZima]

Great, Thank you!

You're welcome, but did you really need to quote the whole article in your post?

 

[zone01racer]

You're welcome, but did you really need to quote the whole article in your post?

lol... i guess not... regardless, hats off to you. i was actually looking at a cbr 600 f4i up till i read your article and changed my mind to go to a 250cc for this season at least.

 

[Pinkster]

So, i am having the same issues for buying my first bike. I was originally thinking the CBR125... I am 5'5 and 106 pounds... female, however, I want or need a bike that i can go on the highway with. i thought the ninja 250 might be best, but a lot of people are saying go straight for a 500, or if i take my dads advice, he's saying go straight for a 600.

Any suggestions???

thanks!

ugh.. first of all you have to realize that on here the mentality of most of the guys on here is that bigger is better and most of the meat heads start with a litre bike off the bat.. a lot of them crash hard. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get a smaller bike (since you are small) one you can easily handle as a first bike so you can learn the essential skills of riding before you learn how to go fast all the time.. I started on a 125. You will likely want to move up from that within a year if you ride with ppl with bigger bikes.. I would suggest starting with a 250, learn all you can with a lighter bike, then move up.. you wont lose much money if any by only keeping it for a year.. then you will be confident enough to ride a 600+ bike.

 

[Lazy Susan]

ugh.. first of all you have to realize that on here the mentality of most of the guys on here is that bigger is better and most of the meat heads start with a litre bike off the bat.. a lot of them crash hard. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get a smaller bike (since you are small) one you can easily handle as a first bike so you can learn the essential skills of riding before you learn how to go fast all the time.. I started on a 125. You will likely want to move up from that within a year if you ride with ppl with bigger bikes.. I would suggest starting with a 250, learn all you can with a lighter bike, then move up.. you wont lose much money if any by only keeping it for a year.. then you will be confident enough to ride a 600+ bike.

thank you !!! i have been thinking and really likely going for the 250 for the first year! i'd rather be safe and move up then be totally reckless!

 

[lil red bird]

Do not kid yourself a well handled 250 will keep up to the poorly handled 600s on the fun roads lol.

 

[handrei]

Hi,

I am a new rider. I am coordinated and athletic and when I went to the motorcycle course having never ridden a motorcycle in my life, I found it natural and easy (I have been driving stick my whole life so the shifting thing comes naturally). I then rode my friend's 250cc Ninja and found that I had to rev it up and go through the gears just to get to a steady clip. Based on that experience I decided to get a Ninja 650R sport-touring bike (more on the sport side) and think it should keep me busy for a few seasons.

I have complete respect for the motorcycle and also have equipped myself with all the safety gear including a Shoei helmet (I don't cheap out on safety ever).

I wonder what you think my chances of harmoniously growing with the machine are. Keep in mind I got the bike to relax and enjoy not to break any land speed records. I also understand physics, mainly the part about Newton's laws of pain and suffering. Lol.

Regards.

 

[getfunky]

handrei, i like your style of writing....much respect!

Anywho, on a unrelated note, I was at Cycle Marina and the rep told me if I'm new and chosing sport, ninja 250 is the way to go but if I'm leaning towards cruiser, I'm better of taking a heavy powerful one instead. How much of that latter part is true?

 

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Do not kid yourself a well handled 250 will keep up to the poorly handled 600s on the fun roads lol.

+1

A kid on a CBR 125 broke the track record on the Nelson track at Shannonville, and he's only 1 second off my time on a GSX-R 600.

 

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Hi,

I am a new rider. I am coordinated and athletic and when I went to the motorcycle course having never ridden a motorcycle in my life, I found it natural and easy (I have been driving stick my whole life so the shifting thing comes naturally). I then rode my friend's 250cc Ninja and found that I had to rev it up and go through the gears just to get to a steady clip. Based on that experience I decided to get a Ninja 650R sport-touring bike (more on the sport side) and think it should keep me busy for a few seasons.

I have complete respect for the motorcycle and also have equipped myself with all the safety gear including a Shoei helmet (I don't cheap out on safety ever).

I wonder what you think my chances of harmoniously growing with the machine are. Keep in mind I got the bike to relax and enjoy not to break any land speed records. I also understand physics, mainly the part about Newton's laws of pain and suffering. Lol.

Regards.

I hopped on my friends 2006 and let out the clutch and was very pleasantly surprised by the bags of torque in first gear.

So, practice your emergency swerves and stops BEFORE you get on the street until they become second nature. Respect the throttle and clutch, and you should be fine. It's usually not the bike, but the operator who's at fault.

Forum Sponsor